This invention relates to an electrically powered reel apparatus for winding and unwinding a hose.
In U.S. Patent to Ritter, U.S. Pat. No. 5,531,246, there is disclosed a hose reel that includes a spool having a drum and flanges and a motor extending partially into the drum. The motor shaft is in driving relationship to a spacer disk that is secured to the drum interior surface axially intermediate the flanges. A swivel is located in the end of the drum opposite the mounting of the motor to the base while a fitting is mounted to the drum to rotate therewith and is fluidly connected between the swivel and the hose that is to be wound on the drum. The hose is unwound by pulling and wound by actuation of the motor.
Referring to U.S. Patent to Dubay, U.S. Pat. No. 4,721,833, there is disclosed a cord reel having a hub with a motor mounted therein and hub end plates which are mounted for rotation by a base: A set screw locks the motor housing relative to the mounting bracket, the mounting bracket being mounted to the base end plate. The motor shaft, which is axially opposite the mounting bracket, mounts a drive wheel for rotating drive gears which in turn rotate the reel. The drive results from the frictional engagement of the drive wheel with tapered portions of the drive gears.
In U.S. Patent to Vandamme, U.S. Pat. No. 6,443,830, there is disclosed a reel driven by a motor, such as a drum motor, which is located in the hub of the reel (see FIGS. 4 and 5). The reel can be driven in each of a winding direction and an unwinding direction.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,449 to Stutzman et al discloses a hose reel having a base and mounting disks mountable to the base to rotatably mount the reel. A motor is mounted to one of the disks to extend within the reel hub and through a gear rotates a spindle to rotate the reel. One end of the spindle is adapted to have a hose connected thereto for supplying fluid to a hose that is to be wound and unwound by rotation of the reel, the motor being reversibly driven.
U.S. Patent to Lambert, U.S. Pat. No. 2,963,227, discloses a hose reel wherein a motor is mounted within the reel hub, the motor, through a sprocket chain arrangement at one axial end of the hub, drivingly rotates the reel. The axial opposite end of the hub is mounted by structure separate from that mounting the motor with there being a rotatable joint in fluid communication with the conduit for conducting fluid from the exterior of the reel to the hose that is wound on the reel. The conduit includes a leg that is axially intermediate the reel flanges.
In order to make improvements in structure such as disclosed in the above mentioned patents, this invention has been made.
The hose reel apparatus includes a mounting bracket that rotatably mounts a reel drum assembly with a first mounting bracket leg mounting an electric, reversible tube motor to extend within the assembly drum. A motor sheath tube has a tube motor extending axially therein and adjacent to the first mounting bracket leg, has an end portion joined to the adjacent drum assembly first side wall and an axially opposite end portion drivenly connected to the motor shaft. The axially opposite, second mounting bracket leg mounts swivel mechanism to have a rotatable portion extend within the drum to open to an opening in the drum for having an end portion of a hose extendable through the opening and being fluidly connectable to the rotatable portion of the swivel mechanism. The swivel mechanism has a stationary portion that rotatably mounts the second drum assembly side wall and is mounted to the bracket second leg to extend therethrough.